Happy New Year - Resolution time!

Let me start by saying that 2011 was a wonderful year for my family.  We were generally healthy, and happy most of the time!  We travelled a little bit, enjoyed the girls highland dancing and the business is doing well!  I hope 2012 is just as good to us!  As the new year approached I started to think of what kind of resolutions I wanted to make.  Of course the old given's popped into my head, be healthier, eat healthier, exercise more, spent less money etc etc.  Of course those are all great resolutions and I hope to be able to do a bit better in the "health" department this year but I really wanted to do something a little more meaningful this year.  So I thought about what kind of things make me happiest  and what kind of things I could improve on and most importantly what kind of things would benefit my entire family.  So the two things that I came up with are


1) To do one act of service for a member of my immediate family EVERY day.  Not each member but at least one.  The only rule I am giving myself is that it can not be something that I already do daily - for example cooking dinner, doing laundry or driving kids to school or activities etc.  I of course will do my best to keep it as even as possible (you know it may be easier to do something for some people than others;) but I am trying to do my best to include everyone on a weekly basis.


2) Consciously be grateful for at least one thing EVERY day.   The following quote sums up why I want to focus on gratitude - "Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable."  I want my children to grow up to be compassionate adults and I really feel that the best way for me to acheive this is to to teach them to be grateful and to charitable.  If I want to teach them this then I certainly need to set  an example for them.  So this is my New Years Resolution.


I am going to try to post what my daily acts of service and thoughts of gratitude are.  I probably won't get a post in every day but I will do my best and I will note what they were for each day.  I am actually really looking forward to this!


So for today my act of service was organizing my daughter Avri's drawers and helping her stick up some name letters that she printed in vinyl up on her wall.  I enjoyed her company as we did this together while she took a 15 minute break from her cyber school studies.  She is 11 years old and in grade 6 and she is such a sweet girl.  She is so even tempered (not like me) and thoughtful and sweet and good to her younger siblings.  She rarely gets upset with anyone.  I am so proud of the person she is and who she is becoming.  I adore her.  


And today I am grateful for hot baths.  I love them.  I love that when all 4 of my girls are in bed and I am sore from yesterday's workout ( you know the other resolution to be healthier) that I can slip into a hot bath with a good book and forget about all the chores and day to day tasks that are awaiting me on the other side of the bathroom door!  I love the way my cats sit on the edge of the tub and play in the bubbles all the while keeping me company.  Even if it is only for 45 minutes I love that I can relax and escape from my responsibilities and then come out feeling relaxed and refreshed!


That is it for tonight but you will be hearing from me a little more often on here as I account for my daily resolutions!  Here is to 2012!


Below are a few pictures of christmas concerts, gingerbread house making highland competition and the girls performance with their dance school at the old folks home in  Maple Ridge.